Intermediate moisture content

Moisture content affects a number of appHcations. The grindabiUty index, ASTM D409, measures the relative ease of pulverising coals and theoretically helps determine the capacity of pulverizers. In practice, low values of grindabiUty occur at moisture extremes and maximal grindabiUty occurs at intermediate moisture content. A small pulverizer to test grinding conditions for design purposes has been developed (20). 

Moisture content is an important factor in influencing the rate of the browning reaction. Browning occurs at low temperatures and intermediate moisture content the rate increases with increasing water content. The rate is extremely low below the glass transi-... 

As discussed earlier, water has a direct influence on the resistance of microorganisms to dry-heat destruction. The destruction rate of spores is a function of the quantity of water in the cell at the time of heating. This water content is only constant under certain conditions and in most conditions, the moisture content of the cell can change so that the secondary variables cause confusion in analysis of results. The water vapor pressure in the atmosphere surrounding the cell determines the movement of water to or from microorganisms on surfaces. Research found that when the humidity in air passing over spores was increased from 0-0.2, the D value also increased by a factor of 100. Spores of intermediate moisture content with an RH between 0.1 and... 

Intermediate moisture content foods (IMFs) such as pet food and continental sausages rely on fats and water-binding humectants such as glycerol to lower water activity. Fat, which is essentially hydrophobic, does not bind water, but acts as a filler for IMFs to increase the volume of the product. 

Urea and biuret type linkages were all characterised. Biuret structures were predominant when the moisture content was low, gradually being replaced by urea linkages when there was higher moisture content, the formation of urethane and amine moieties also occurred at intermediate moisture contents. This is in contrast to the previous study [17] where only a small amount of biuret linkages were detected. This may be due to the presence... 

Lewandowicz et al. (1997) conducted experiments to study the effect of microwave processing on the physicochemical properties of cereal starches. They used corn, wheat, and waxy corn at an intermediate moisture content of 30%. Brabender rheological method, light microscopy, x-ray diffractometry (XRD), and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) methods were used to test different properties of starches, both before and after microwave processing. The experimental results are shown in Figures 3.2 and 3.3. Corn and wheat had pronounced changes in their molecular structure compared to waxy corn. 

The rate of mixing, as measured by the rate of change of /p with time, varies greatly with the kind of mixer and the nature of the mixed materials. In a two-arm mixer, for example, dry powdery clay is mixed much more rapidly than very wet, almost liquid clay. Clay with an intermediate moisture content and in a stiff plastic condition is mixed rapidly but with a much greater energy requirement than either very wet or very dry clay. ... 

HAD Hot air drying HPD Heat pump drying IMC Intermediate moisture content. 

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